DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Washington has condemned the United Arab Emirates' arrest of more than two dozen gays at what police called a mass homosexual wedding and warned that any attempt to treat detainees with male hormones would violate international law.

Police raided a hotel chalet near Abu Dhabi earlier this month and arrested 22 Emirati men and three Arabs from neighboring countries, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. Police reported finding a dozen men dressed as brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress, apparently preparing for a mock marriage ceremony.

The authorities said the detainees, some of whom had been arrested before, are likely to be tried on charges related to adultery and prostitution. They also said the men would be tested for male-hormone levels and could possibly face government-ordered hormone injections.

In criticizing the arrests, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement Monday: "We call on the government of the United Arab Emirates to immediately stop any ordered hormone and psychological treatment and to comply with the standards of international law."

An Interior Ministry official close to the investigation said on Tuesday that hormones would be given only with the suspects' consent — either as a sentence-reduction option if found guilty in court or voluntarily before trial.

Outward homosexual behavior is banned in the United Arab Emirates and most other Arab countries.

The arrested men were undergoing psychological evaluation last week. The Interior Ministry's department of social support has said it would try to direct the men away from homosexual behavior, including recommending male hormone treatment if the men are found to be deficient.

Local newspapers have published grainy photos of the suspects, showing some of the "brides" wearing sleeveless dresses and what appeared to be wigs and kneeling at the feet of the "grooms."

The US has condemned the arrests of 26 gay men during a raid on a party at a hotel in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month.

Washington also warned the UAE that any attempt to administer hormone or psychological treatment would break international law.

Police launched on Tuesday disciplinary proceedings against an officer who published photos taken during the raid, but did not respond to the criticism.

Homosexuality is illegal in the UAE.

Police arrested 22 UAE men, one Indian, and three Arabs from neighbouring states at a hotel in Ghantut in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The authorities said 12 of the men had been dressed in women's clothes and make-up in preparation for a gay wedding.

Hormone therapy

A police spokesman said the foreigners were likely to be deported, while the Emirati men could be given hormone therapy if they consent.

The BBC's Gulf correspondent, Julia Wheeler, says there is a suggestion that agreeing to such treatment could be used as a bargaining tool for a reduction in an individual's sentence.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said his government condemned both the arrests and government-ordered hormone and psychological treatment.

"We call on the government of the United Arab Emirates to immediately stop any ordered hormone and psychological treatment and to comply with the standards of international law," he said.

In the UAE there have been a number of cases of arrests of homosexuals in recent years, and a nightclub in Dubai was closed down for allowing an openly gay night to be held on its premises, our correspondent says.

One religious scholar has now called on parents to be vigilant of what he called "deviant" behaviour in their children.

Policeman disciplined

Images of the suspects taken by a policeman on his mobile phone appeared in local newspapers shortly after the arrests.

Lt Col Najm Abdullah al-Sayar said the police had launched disciplinary proceedings against the policeman.

"[The officer] photographed the young men with his mobile phone while they were being arrested and distributed the pictures," he said.

"He has infringed on the privacy of the people involved in the case and this is something that goes against the proper conduct of the police force. He is under investigation and may ultimately be expelled from the force."

この雑誌は〈Read The Truth〉というコンセプトのもと、LGBT※(L=レズビアン、G=ゲイ、B=バイセクシャル、T=トランスジェンダー)のセンスや視点も包含した野心的なカルチャー・マガジンです。12月8日発売予定となる創刊号では、お正月映画「僕の恋、彼の秘密」に主演するトニー・ヤンが表紙を飾るほか、新作『Confessions On A Dancefloor』がヒット中のマドンナのインタビュー、カイリー・ミノーグ、ロビー・ウィリアムスなどをご紹介。またCBS系列のLGBT向けTV 局「LOGO」ほか、世界で拡大するLGBT TV事情を特集するほか、橋口亮輔（映画監督）、しりあがり寿（漫画エッセイ）などの連載、特集記事も充実掲載予定。詳細は下記の通りとなります、是非ご期待ください。

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper reopened the hot-button issue of same-sex unions on his first day on the federal election trail Tuesday, saying he would hold a free vote on changing the definition of marriage if he becomes prime minister.

Harper made the remark after Prime Minister Paul Martin announced Canadians will go to the polls on Jan. 23.

Harper, who has long promised that if elected he would hold a free vote on marriage, raised the issue himself during a news conference Tuesday in Ottawa.

"We were committed at the time of the convention and through the last debate to put a free vote to the next Parliament on this issue," he said. "It will be a genuinely free vote when I am prime minister. I will not whip our cabinet. Cabinet can vote as they want."

He said if the House votes against changing the law to allow same-sex marriages, the matter would be settled.

Harper, who believes same-sex couples should be recognized through civil unions, promised to preserve the gay marriages already performed across Canada.

Some observers say the Tory stance against gay weddings cost the party crucial support in urban Ontario and among younger voters.

But Harper may have raised the issue to pre-empt his critics, who say he's intolerant and has a secret agenda.

George Michael said Tuesday that he and his longtime partner will make their relationship official under new British legislation offering gays many of the legal protections available to married couples.

"I'm sure Kenny (Goss) and I will be doing the old legal thing, but we won't be doing the whole veil and gown thing," Michael said at a screening of a documentary about his career. "It'll be relatively soon after it comes in, probably early next year."

The singer said he and Goss, who have been a couple for nearly ten years, planned a "small, private ceremony."

"I'm not very romantic about it to be honest," he said. "I think Kenny probably would be if I let him, but it's just not me."

The Civil Partnerships Bill passed by Parliament last year gives same-sex couples the right to form legally binding partnerships and entitles them to some of the same tax and pension rights married couples have.

"We want to do it, just in case," Michael said. "You never know, I could get hit by a bus and the poor man could have nothing."

In a sermon two years ago, Pastor Ake Green told his congregation that homosexuality was a "deep cancer tumour" on society.

He was convicted in 2004 under Sweden's hate crimes law.

But on Tuesday the court upheld an appeals court verdict that Pastor Green's remarks did not constitute incitement to hatred.

In a 16-page ruling, the Supreme Court said his sermon was protected by freedom of speech and religion.

Mr Green was the first cleric convicted under Sweden's new hate crimes law, which was amended two years ago to include homosexuals.

Anti-gay sermon

He has shown little regret for his comments when addressing the media. He has also said his comments referred to a homosexual lifestyle, rather than individuals.

But after his acquittal, he said that everyone now knew what he thought about homosexuals and he would keep his mouth shut in future.

In the sermon, Mr Green told a congregation on the small south-eastern island of Oland that homosexuals were "a deep cancer tumour on all of society" and that gays were more likely than other people to rape children and animals.

He was sentenced to one month in prison in 2004, but was released on appeal.

Pastor Green told Swedish media he was relieved over the supreme court ruling and that he now would be free to preach the word of God.

His case has fuelled a heated debate in Sweden, a country where both freedom of speech and tolerance are highly prized virtues, the BBC's Lars Bevanger reports.

The case has also attracted widespread international attention.

Some religious groups have argued that a conviction would be a threat to freedom of religion and speech. Others said an acquittal would open the door to fiercer attacks against Jews, Muslims and gays by right-wing extremists.

NARA--A full year after the shock and outrage following a 7-year-old Nara girl's abduction and murder by a previously convicted sex offender, the national effort to prevent sex crime recidivism is off to a slow, difficult start.

Some steps have been taken, to be sure. The Justice Ministry began informing the National Police Agency (NPA) in June whenever sex offenders who have assaulted children are about to be released from prison.

And in April next year, a revision to the Prison Law will make correctional education mandatory in prisons nationwide.

Police officials admit, however, that it is difficult to maintain a balance between keeping tabs on sex offenders and not hindering their social rehabilitation.

"We could do no more than go to their home and check their doorplates, that's about all," a senior Kinki region prefectural police official said of the police's responsibility to monitor pedophiles' whereabouts.

The first-grader was kidnapped and killed on her way home from school on Nov. 17, 2004. Her body was discovered in a roadside ditch the next day. Her family was sent threatening messages and photos of her via e-mail.

Kaoru Kobayashi, 36, a former newspaper deliveryman, was later arrested and charged in the case. He pleaded guilty. Kobayashi had twice before been convicted for assaulting children.

His arrest brought into focus the need to prevent sex crime recidivism.

Under the Justice Ministry-NPA program, prisons inform police of the scheduled release of inmates convicted of sexually assaulting children under 13.

Between June and October, the ministry says it sent reports on about 80 cases to the NPA.

The information includes the date of release and the inmates' intended residence, but little else. No photos are included.

Also, in order to avoid hindering the pedophiles' social reintegration, the NPA issued a directive ordering officers to "try to be considerate, and avoid contact with their family, neighbors and workplace as much as possible."

The whereabouts of nearly 10 pedophiles released since June are unknown, according to a police source. Yet, there have been few steps taken to trace them, said one source.

By comparison, the United States, Britain and some other nations have much tougher programs to prevent repeat offenses.

In the United States, the names and addresses of the perpetrators of serious sex crimes are made known to community residents. In Britain, an experiment is under way to trace habitual offenders with the satellite-based global positioning system.

Japan's program is less harsh, both to encourage rehabilitation and, as a ministry official explained, "because it takes a lot of time and trouble, like legal revisions," to create systems comparable to those of other nations.

Some lawmakers and experts suggest Japan needs to consider using hormone-curbing substances and other drugs to "treat" repeat offenders, though the Justice Ministry is wary of such ideas.

For now, Hidemichi Morosawa, a professor of criminology at the Tokiwa University graduate school, says information on repeated sex offenders should be given to schools and other organizations that deal with children.

At the same time, he said, the government and the private sector should strengthen their cooperation to help with ex-convicts' integration back into society.

Government subsidies to businesses that employ ex-inmates would certainly help, he said.

Koichi Kikuta, professor emeritus of criminology at Meiji University, is critical of the program to inform police of the imminent release of sex offenders.

"(Such) information could prejudice police, possibly leading to the arrest of an innocent person," Kikuta said.

"There is no panacea for recidivism prevention, because there is a complicated mentality behind sex offenses," he said. "It would be more effective to improve correctional education by gearing programs toward individuals."

But this correctional education is rarely provided. As of March, only 13 of the nation's 74 prisons had education programs for sex offenders. One of those 13 is the Shiga prison in Otsu, where Kobayashi was imprisoned for sexual assault in 1991.

It provides five hourlong lecture and discussion classes over a three-month period. Inmates watch videos that describe the mental scars sexual abuse leaves with victims. They also write essays and discuss how they might atone for their deeds.

A total of 40 inmates went through the prison's program in the year that ended in May.

"We hope that learning how victims suffer (because of what the sex offenders did) will help them not to offend again," said a prison official in charge of the program.

However, the Shiga prison receives no special government assistance, neither financial nor in terms of personnel.

It was only after the Nara case led to the revision of the Prison Law making correctional education mandatory that the Justice Ministry started working on a national, unified program.

Not everyone is convinced that correctional education offers much hope. Prison guards have seen case after case of ex-inmates, ostracized from society after release, committing similar crimes again in desperation.

One correction official wonders if their prison's education program really helps prevent repeated offenses.

ROME — The Vatican on Tuesday formally released instructions that block actively gay men from the priesthood, a long-anticipated document that already has opened a debate over how it will be applied and whether it will have a healing, or detrimental, effect on the Roman Catholic Church.

Church conservatives are applauding the document for taking a strong stance against what many see as an immoral "gay subculture" within seminaries and church life, and for establishing clearer restrictions on who is suitable to become a priest.

But liberals said they feared the rules would be used to keep qualified men out of a depleted priesthood because of their sexual identity, even when celibate.

This is the first major instruction to be issued by Pope Benedict XVI, and the fact that it focused on homosexuality reflected the German pontiff's concern over morals he sees being eroded by Western secular culture.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, author of the eight-page document as prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, said Tuesday that it was crucial for the church to speak out now.

"Many are defending a position in which the homosexual condition is considered a normal condition of the human being, almost like a third gender," Grocholewski told Vatican Radio. "That absolutely contradicts human anthropology, and, according to the church, contradicts natural law."

The document, which was leaked in its entirety last week on a Catholic news website, says that men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" or who support a "gay culture" may not become priests. But men who have "overcome" a homosexuality that was "transitory" and who have remained celibate for three years before joining the seminary are eligible.

Father Robert Gahl, a theologian, praised the document for establishing "more challenging expectations" for men who want to become priests. Homosexuals are clearly barred, he said, because the rules require a man with homosexual tendencies not only to have lived a celibate life but to have overcome those tendencies long before entering the seminary.

"Anyone who considers himself homosexual ought to realize that as such, the church is not calling him to the priesthood," said Gahl, who teaches at Rome's St. Cross Pontifical University, which is run by the conservative Opus Dei organization.

"The document is strong in that it restates in this time of crisis in the church what has always been the traditional teaching of the church, [that homosexuals] are objectively disordered," Gahl said. "It screens out candidates who suffer from emotional immaturity, especially in a sexual area."

But Father Mark R. Francis, superior general of the Rome-based Clerics of St. Viator, said some of the language was so ambiguous that the guidelines would be interpreted and applied differently from diocese to diocese. The document, for example, does not provide definitions of "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" and "transitory" homosexuality.

"There is a question of what the document says, and what good pastoral practice is," Francis said.

"We have some very good gay priests who are gay in terms of their orientation but who are celibate and chaste," Francis continued. "If the document is interpreted in a very strict manner, it would be an impoverishment for the church and would exclude excellent people. There will have to be prudential judgment on who is accepted into seminaries."

Grocholewski, the cardinal, sought to illuminate at least one of these points. He said "transitory" homosexuality referred to acts committed out of youthful curiosity, in a state of inebriation or by a man confined to prison for many years. These were not "deep tendencies" but "transitory circumstances," and as long as they occurred more than three years before application to the seminary, the person remained eligible for the priesthood.

The debate over the document appears most intense in the United States, where homosexuality in the priesthood has long been openly discussed. Although experts note that homosexuality and pedophelia are not linked, the clergy sexual abuse scandal rocking the U.S. church further highlighted the existence of gay priests because many victims were male.

Vatican officials began work on the document years before the scandal, but its exposure made the guidelines "more urgent," according to a preamble to the instructions.

George Weigel, a conservative Catholic biographer of the late Pope John Paul II and senior fellow at the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, said he hoped the document would help foster a "genuine and enduring" reform of the priesthood.

But "that is entirely up to local bishops," he said in an e-mail response to a request for comment. "... No Roman document (and particularly one that essentially reiterates long-standing Church policy) can substitute for courageous leadership by religious superiors, calling all under their authority to live the 'more excellent way' by honoring the majesty of their vows."

The document states that the ordination of homosexuals can have "negative consequences" because they cannot relate correctly to the men and women in their flock. It says priests must develop a "true sense of spiritual fatherhood for the ecclesiastical community ... entrusted to him."

Vatican officials said the new guidelines are not meant to suggest removal of priests who are already serving. Church officials also have responded to accusations of discrimination, saying there is no "right" to become a priest. It is a calling, they say, a gift from God.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A Vatican document which has sparked controversy because it restricts homosexuals from entering the Catholic priesthood was finally released on Tuesday after being widely leaked in the media.

The short document, which takes a strict line on the place of gays in the clergy, has already been praised by conservatives and condemned by liberals and set off heated debate well beyond the Roman Catholic Church.

Confronting an issue that has divided the faithful worldwide, it says practising homosexuals should be barred from entering the priesthood along with men with "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies and those who support gay culture.

The document says only men who had clearly overcome homosexual tendencies for at least three years should be admitted to the priesthood.

Gay groups have said the Church is using homosexuals as scapegoats for its sexual abuse scandals.

Conservative Catholics have welcomed the document as an important step in the reform of the priesthood, particularly in the United States, where they say some seminaries had become venues for a thriving subculture.

Many inside and outside the Church have said the document risks alienating men who would be good priests and would be able to honor their vow of celibacy.

"Having worked with bishops and priests, diocesan and religious, all over the world, I have no doubt that God does call homosexuals to the priesthood, and they are among the most dedicated and impressive priests I have met," said Father Timothy Radcliffe, former master of the Dominican order.

"And we may presume that God will continue to call both homosexuals and heterosexuals to the priesthood because the Church needs the gifts of both," Radcliffe wrote in the British Catholic weekly the Tablet.

The document reinforces standing policy that many in the Church believe has not been properly enforced. Its urgency has been highlighted by the 2002 sexual abuse scandal in the United States, which involved mostly abuse of teenage boys by priests.

It does not affect those men who are already priests but only those entering seminaries to prepare for the priesthood.

It restates long-standing Church teaching that deep-seated homosexual tendencies are "objectively disordered" and that homosexual acts are grave sins.

The "instruction" by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, makes a difference between deep-seated homosexual tendencies and "the expression of a transitory problem."

It says homosexual tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the deaconate, a position just one step short of the priesthood which usually precedes ordination by about a year.

It says heads of seminaries have a serious duty to see to it that candidates for the priesthood do not "present disturbances of a sexual nature which are incompatible with the priesthood."

The Vatican has published long-awaited guidelines which reaffirm that active homosexuals and "supporters of gay culture" may not become priests.

But it treats homosexuality as a "tendency", not an orientation, and says those who have overcome it can begin training to take holy orders.

At least three years must pass between "overcoming [a] transitory problem" and ordination as a deacon, the rules say.

All Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy, regardless of orientation.

The guidelines make no reference to current priests, but only to those about to join a seminary.

Some Catholic theologians feel the document is not sufficiently clear, the BBC's Peter Gould says.

That it refers to "tendencies" rather than orientation "has left many people scratching their heads," Jesuit scholar Father Thomas Reese told him.

Truth

The 18-paragraph document was published with little fanfare on Tuesday morning. The Vatican is not offering further explanation.

The document was leaked last week and published by an Italian Catholic news website, Adista.

Critics have long objected that gay seminarians might feel they have no choice but to lie about their sexual orientation.

The guidelines specifically address this issue, urging candidates for the priesthood to tell the truth.

"It would be gravely dishonest for a candidate to hide his own homosexuality," the document says.

Observers say the new rules might lead to a dramatic drop in the number of priests, especially in the West.

'Grave obstacle'

The document, drafted by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education and approved by Pope Benedict on 31 August, describes homosexual acts as "grave sins" that cannot be justified under any circumstances.

"If a candidate practises homosexuality, or presents deep-seated homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director as well as his confessor have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding towards ordination," it says.

"Such persons in fact find themselves in a situation that presents a grave obstacle to a correct relationship with men and women."

But the paper also stresses the Church's deep respect for homosexuals, who, it says, should by no means be discriminated against.

Homosexuals had already been barred from priesthood in a 1961 document .

Canon law experts note that the new guidelines were not issued in forma specifica, meaning the Pope has not officially invested it with his personal authority, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

That might mean there is room for further interpretation or revision in the future.

The guidelines are the outcome of a review ordered by the late Pope John Paul II following the highly damaging abuse scandals in the US, in which several men accused priests of having abused them as teenagers.

New HIV cases in Canada have risen 20% during the past five years, with gay and bisexual men accounting for about 45% of all new HIV diagnoses in the country, according to a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. The Toronto Star reports that about 30% of the new HIV cases were acquired through heterosexual sex, and that about one quarter of all new infections are occurring among women, up from about 10% a decade ago. About 25% of the country’s new HIV cases were reported among injection-drug users. Aileen Carroll, federal minister of international cooperation, says poverty, drug use, and increased sexual risk taking are the main factors fueling the increase in infections across the country. “When you consider how readily available information is to young people, when you consider how readily available are means to protect, it's very disconcerting to see how risk taking continues," she told a news conference. (Advocate.com)

Almost 58,000 people in Canada have been diagnosed with HIV, a 20 per cent rise in the past five years, with women accounting for a quarter of new cases, the United Nations says.

While the government has spent considerable money to fight the disease at home, "the statistics continue to expand," Aileen Carroll, federal minister of international co-operation, told a news conference yesterday to unveil UNAIDS update on the epidemic.

The largest group of people infected were men having sex with men, accounting for 45 per cent of new HIV cases in Canada last year.

About 30 per cent of new cases were through heterosexual transmission and the rest were due to intravenous drug use, the U.N. reported.

Women now account for over a quarter of new diagnoses, compared to less than 10 per cent a decade ago.

Young women aged 15 to 29 are particularly at risk, representing 42 per cent of newly diagnosed women in Canada last year, up from 13 per cent 20 years ago.

The U.N. also tracks AIDS cases.

While the number of annual AIDS cases has dropped in Canada from 1,776 10 years ago to 237 last year due to antiretroviral treatments, a growing proportion are among black and aboriginal Canadians, the report says.

The spread in Canada is largely a problem of poverty and drug use, Carroll said, but "when you consider how readily available information is to young people, when you consider how readily available are means to protect ... it's very disconcerting to see how the risk-taking continues."

The problem is the same in the United States where rates, particularly among women, continue to rise and "we should not have been caught off guard," said Helen Gayle, director of HIV, TB and reproductive health for the Gates Foundation. The estimated number of people living with HIV in the U.S. at the end of 2003 exceeded one million for the first time.

Around the globe, close to 5 million new HIV infections were recorded this year, 3.2 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the report says. Another 3 million people died of AIDS-related diseases, more than half a million of them children.

Today, the total number of people living with HIV stands at 40.3 million, double the number a decade ago.

"Despite progress made in a small but growing number of countries (Kenya, Zimbabwe and some Caribbean countries), the AIDS epidemic continues to outstrip global efforts to contain it," said UNAIDS director Dr. Peter Piot.

"It is clear that a rapid increase in the scale and scope of HIV prevention programs is urgently needed. We must move from small projects with short-term horizons to long-term comprehensive strategies."

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized 25 years ago, "making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history," the report says.

The drop in the number of new cases shows that "global investments and commitment can have an impact on the devastation of this disease," said Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The fund needs $7.1 billion (U.S.) for the next two years but so far, has received pledges of only $3.8 billion from participating countries.

Carroll announced $60 million in new funding to fight the epidemic worldwide, including $12 million for research on a vaccine and $1.2 million for an AIDS conference to be held in August.

X in Canada wants to know if his marriage there to Japanese boyfriend Y is legal in Japan. "As you probably know, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize gay marriages third year, along with the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. If we decide to move to Japan, how will this affect us?"

Legally, Japan does not recognize same-sex marriages. You will not be able to get a spouse visa, for example. If you want confirmation or to argue the case, call the Immigration Information Office in Tokyo's Shinagawa district on (03) 5796 7112.

In terms of finding accommodation, most probably a blind eye will be turned to two men sharing; just get all the paperwork done in your Japanese partner's name.

The place to go to deal with sexuality-related human rights issues in Japan is the organization OCCUR, which welcomes any inquiries about the legal ramifications of recognizing overseas marriages and/or human rights violations.